Nothing Left to Lose
by j.heller
Summary: On one fateful night, Mulder meets the woman who would tear him and Scully apart.
1. Chapter 1

He worked by the light on his desk, the pathetic lamp trying to give him solace for the late night's work. But he didn't care. There was no longer anything to go home to. Once again another relationship fell through the cracks, but to anyone who knew the man, it wasn't fair to place the blame on him. The women were just fillers, so to speak, pretty girls to pass the time with, pretty girls who were always looking for more.

The janitor was often his only companion during these late nights. He would stop by the basement office on his rounds, chat about sports, and maybe drop off some food courtesy of his wife. The story of Mulder's downfall was a secret to no one.

What was supposed to be just another weekend apart turned into the catalyst for disaster.

"Just give him another chance," Scully said. "He was angry then, scared. You would have said the exact same things if you were in his position."

But Mulder vehemently denied Scully's offer. There was no way he was going to spend an entire evening with Bill Scully Jr. After the scene in the hospital, the threats and the guilt laid upon him, Mulder did not have the energy to deal with him. Scully was better now. There was no need to make nice with anyone.

"Go without me, Scully, you'll survive on your own. Besides, I've got some things I could catch up on. Have some fun. Come Monday, we'll be back in this office and maybe we'll actually have something to talk about. Don't you want to engage in the cursory how-was-your-weekend dialogue?"

Scully conceded. It wasn't like she was dreading to see her brother; she was more afraid about facing his naval friends, some of whom she never met. If Mulder agreed to come along, he would have been some type of buffer, and he was fully aware of that fact.

The two said their goodbyes for the day and parted in the parking lot. Mulder watched Scully drive off, presumably to the airport to pick up her brother. He, on the other hand, sat in his car for a while, debating where the weekend should take him.

He ended up in a bar that he used to frequent. It was still the same place with dingy lighting and that indefinable sour smell to set the mood. Mulder slid onto a bar stool and ordered a beer. When the beverage arrived, Mulder sipped it slowly, not in the mood get the more than a slight buzz. He was here only to people watch – to pass the time.

It was Victoria was started the relationship; it was Victoria who ended it. She spotted Mulder enter the shoddy bar and pegged him as someone different. She was a regular at the place, going nearly every day after work to brighten an otherwise dreary life. The other regulars were lowlifes, criminals, and the occasional bum who managed to scrounge enough money for a drink.

"Buy me a drink?" Victoria slid into the stool next to Mulder's and leaned on the counter.

Mulder glanced at her, noticed her figure, and sat up a bit straighter.

"Sure."

He ordered another beer and watched Victoria take the bottle by the neck and down the beverage in one take. Mulder couldn't help but laugh. She slammed the bottle back down the counter, wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, and introduced herself.

"They call me Victoria. What do they call you?"

"Mu…" Mulder stopped himself. There was something about this woman that intrigued him. For one night, he decided, he could stop being just Mulder. "Fox. My name is Fox."

They began to talk, impersonal details at first but as the alcohol began to flow their conversation became more and more erratic. Details about the X-Files surfaced and Victoria listened intently. She was intrigued by it all.

By the time the bar closed, Mulder was intoxicated beyond belief. Victoria was stumbling around as well, but she had revealed somewhere through the night that she came from a family of heavy drinkers. She was used to it. Living only a block away, Victoria assured that Mulder's car was safe in the bar's parking lot despite the shady environment. Easily persuaded under the influence of alcohol, Mulder agreed and the two stumbled off to Victoria's studio.

It was sparsely furnished: a mattress on the floor, boxes as side tables, and a pile of cushions as a sofa. Mulder laughed as he saw the room and Victoria laughed as well. She knew her living standards were poor, but she was working on it.

Without thinking twice, they both plopped down onto the makeshift bed.

"I don't think I've ever had that much to drink before. It's a miracle I haven't upchucked yet," Mulder said as he sprawled across the bed, arms and legs thrown carelessly over Victoria's body.

"You've handled yourself well against a seasoned pro like me Fox. I'm impressed."

Victoria climbed out from Mulder's appendages and sprawled her own body across his in retaliation.

What happened next, Mulder would claim he had no control over. Victoria's allure was too strong to refuse, and besides, he was only man. It had been months since his last lay and that had been unsatisfying to say the least. Her lips pressed against his and soon they were hungrily engaged in each other. Coming up for air only hindered their progress.

Hands were free roaming, groping, pulling, and tugging off pieces of clothes. Mulder stared at Victoria's naked body in awe. It was near perfection.

Scully was the farthest thing from his mind.


	2. Chapter 2

She was bored. But she didn't want to be. Spending time with Bill was rare enough. They were both so busy with work and life. Scully did not keep it a secret that she was disappointed when Bill said some of his naval friends would be joining them for dinner. With her big brother around, Scully gladly relished the role of being his baby sister.

They talked about being out at sea, General Whitmore this, Admiral Johnson that, and Scully simply sat back and listened. She slowly sipped her wine, picked at her food, and glanced at her watch every ten minutes. The night couldn't end soon enough.

When dinner was finally over, Scully drove Bill's friends to the hotel and bid them a goodnight.

"You hated them," Bill said as soon as they pulled out off the hotel's drop-off zone.

"No, Bill, I didn't."

"Dana, you don't have to lie. I could see it in your face. You hated them."

"I don't hate your friends Bill. It's just that I was hoping to spend some time with you."

Bill was touched by his sister's sentiment.

"Tomorrow, I promise. Tomorrow will be all yours."

Scully took her eyes off the road for a brief second to look at Bill. She could always melt her big brother's heart with the right look.

"Dana, look out!" Bill shouted at the top of his lungs. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted a car driving erratically on the wrong side of the road – their side of the road.

Before she could do anything to avoid the oncoming car, the two vehicles collided.

All Scully could think about was what Mulder was doing.


	3. Chapter 3

Somewhere between the first and second round, Mulder's gut began to feel uneasy. He lay in bed intertwined with Victoria's body when a sudden pang of guilt swept through him. In the distance he heard the screeching of cars and thought nothing of it. But when the sounds of sirens broke the silent night, Mulder felt that something was not right.

He tried to sit up straight but Victoria pushed him back down.

"You're not trying to leave are you?" Victoria ran her tongue down his side of his face. "I thought we were having fun."

Mulder sighed and mussed with Victoria's hair.

"It's nothing. It's just … I think I may have left my cell phone in my car."

"Oh, is that it?" Victoria positioned herself on top of Mulder. "Well, I can make you forget about that."

She slinked down all the way to the bottom of the mattress and took him her mouth. Any feelings of apprehensive Mulder had were gone in seconds.

But two blocks down, with her car flipped over and the smell of gasoline in the air, Scully was anything but carefree. In fact, she was barely awake.

"Dana?" Bill called her name out frantically. She only responded with mumbled words.

The two cars had met head on. Scully had tired to brake, but the other driver didn't even register the situation. It was like he was only going faster. Upon impact, Scully's car had rolled and ended up upside down in the middle of the road. The other car had swerved and hit a wall.

Tenants of the neighborhood were awakened by the sound of the crash and slowly poured into the streets after they saw what had happened. The medics were called and good Samaritans went out to the victims and tried to help.

An elderly man and his son went over the Scully's car and peeked inside. What they saw was not promising.

Bill was fine enough. He was scratched up but otherwise well. His sister on the other hand, was barely hanging on. Though the impact was mostly dead on, the cars did collide at a bit of an angle, leaving Scully on the vulnerable side. The dashboard was farther up than it should be, pinning her into her seat. Blood stained the window and her headrest. She had difficulty breathing and spat up blood.

The two men tried their best to pull Scully from the wreckage. They smelled the gasoline, but despite their best efforts, she remained stuck in the car. Bill tried his best to help from the inside, but his own positioning did not make things easy.

It was a relief to everyone with the medics arrived. The crew quickly assessed the scene. A few medics went to the other car and easily took care of the driver.

Over at Scully's vehicle, the situation was more difficult. The accident caused the fuel tank to be ruptured. The paramedics worked as fast as they could. Despite his pleas, Bill was extracted from the car first.

Though the worked as fast as they could, it took the medics over half and hour to free Scully from the wreckage. By the time they placed her on the gurney she was unconscious and barely breathing.


	4. Chapter 4

When he woke up, his head was pounding. He looked at the body draped over his and recalled the events of the previous night. What an adventure. Mulder took a peak at his watch – it was almost 3:00PM. The day was already halfway over.

He carefully crawled out of bed and began to put on his clothes. Showering at Victoria's was not an option; Mulder did not want to be entangled in another round of sex, at least for now. He just wanted to get home.

Just as he was scribbling a note, Victoria began to stir. Not feeling a body next to her, she popped up from bed, letting the covers fall from her body. Mulder tired not to look.

"What? Are you disgusted with me already?"

Victoria got out of bed and walked towards Mulder so he could have a better view.

"It's not that. It's just I have things I need to get done. I have work to do."

"Work? I thought you said last night this is one weekend you weren't going to do any work."

"No. I said this is one weekend Scully and I weren't going to see each other. A break of sorts."

"Ah, yes, the enigmatic Agent Scully. I'm pretty sure that he wouldn't mind if you let your work sit still for a little longer. Come on now, Fox, I can see that you still want me."

Victoria nibbled on his ear and Mulder caved in. There was something about this woman that would not let him say no.

About another hour later and another sexual romp, Mulder was finally out of Victoria's door. They had exchanged numbers and promised to keep in contact.

When Mulder arrived at his car, he saw that over the night, it had been broken into. Frustrated, he rummaged through the vehicle to see what the taken. His cell phone was missing, as was the stereo and some loose change.

"Fuck." Mulder looked around as if to see if he could catch the thief. He turned around, tempted to go back to Victoria's studio, but decided against it. As much he enjoyed her company, Mulder needed a break. Instead, he went into the bar and called the police.

It was nearly dark when Mulder finally returned to his apartment. He had filed a report with the police, and then informed his insurance agent of the break in. It took awhile before he was able to procure a rental car.

Back at his apartment, Mulder immediately stripped of all this clothes and jumped in the shower. Though sweet, he wanted to get Victoria's scent off him. If he ran into Scully, he didn't want her to know. He took his time, making sure that he was sufficiently clean while enjoying the pressure from the water.

Done with his shower, Mulder got dressed and noticed the light blinking on his message machine. He hit the play button.

"You have 20 new messages."

"Holy," said Mulder.

"First new message. 1:26 AM. Hi … uh …" the person clears his throat. The voice sounds familiar but Mulder can't place it. "I don't like this but I know that Dana would want me to call you." It was Bill Jr. "We were in a car accident. The doctors are working on her now. Come if you want. Washington Memorial."

Mulder's heart stopped. The messages continued to play.

"Second message. 2:00AM. Fox, its Mrs. Scully." She sounded like she was crying. "I don't know if Bill called you already, but he and Dana were in a serious accident." She stops to compose herself. "Dana's not well, Fox. We're at Washington Memorial. Please come as soon as possible."

Before the machine could play the third message, Mulder was out the door, cursing at himself for not getting home sooner.


	5. Chapter 5

Waking up in a hospital was never a pleasant experience, she was sure; it was the waking up part that she was grateful for. Tubes and wires monitoring vital signs were scattered across her daughter's body. The rhythmic beeping of the heart was oddly comforting.

Mrs. Scully glanced at her watch again. It was nearly noon. Her daughter was fresh out of a four hour surgery to repair her punctured lung and other various internal injuries. She was still hanging on a thread. Mrs. Scully was hanging on a thread herself. Over the night, she easily could have lost two more of her children.

Bill was situated in his own nook, a room created by curtains rather, for a few more hours. The ER doctors had cleared of any immediate trauma early in the morning but they insisted that he remain under observation for a bit longer. It wasn't like he would be going anywhere anyway.

Mrs. Scully reached out to touch her daughter but she did it hesitantly as she was afraid her touch would break her daughter.

"Please, Dana, wake up. Wake up so I may rest in peace."

A knock on the door startled her.

"I'm sorry to interrupt Mrs. Scully, but I thought you could use some breakfast." Skinner held a tray with two cups of coffee in one hand and a bag in the other.

"Thank you Walter." She accepted the food and sipped the coffee slowly. "Have you heard from Fox yet?"

"I've tried his cell and home numbers twice in the past hour. I called his Lone Gunmen friends who haven't heard from since last night."

Mrs. Scully nodded at the news. Mulder's absence only put a greater strain on her heart.

The day passed slowly on. Bill was formally discharged from the hospital, though he went straight from his makeshift room to Scully's bedside. He cursed to God for a bit, asking why his sister must suffer once more. His biggest injury was a broken arm.

Skinner left for a while during the afternoon, mostly to check up on Mulder. He had stopped by the agent's apartment, but he was not there. He thought about leaving a note, but left another message on the answering machine instead.

The Lone Gunmen stopped by for a spell, having been informed by Skinner. They offered flowers and condolences and prayers for Scully's health. They promised Mrs. Scully to let her know if they heard from Mulder.

It was evening when the man everyone was waiting for showed up. Bill Jr. spotted him in the hallway and walked up to him.

"You," he was angry, Mulder could tell. "Where the hell have you been?"

It was not the greeting Mulder was expecting. He thought Bill would have him thrown out of the hospital.

"You know very well, Mr. Mulder, that I don't like you very much, but for some godforsaken reason my sister adores you. And for that reason alone … I'm glad you're here."

Mulder looked at Bill confusingly but decided to make use of their truce.

"Where is she?"

"ICU, third door to the left."

Mulder stormed through hallways until he reached Scully's room. Her name was written on a piece of masking tape that was stuck to the door. He peaked inside the window before going in.

Mrs. Scully turned around when she heard the door open. Upon seeing Mulder, she leapt out of her chair and went to him. With all her strength, she began to pound him with her fists.

"Where the hell have you been?" She was fighting back the anger and frustration and tears. Mulder knew he deserved it. "My daughter has been lying here for hours, possibly dying, while you … Lord know what you've been doing."

Mulder let Mrs. Scully tire herself out before saying anything.

"I came as soon as I heard. I swear."

Mrs. Scully looked Mulder straight in the eyes. She could tell he was telling her the truth.

"She needs you, more than you know."

Mulder nodded, not necessarily in agreement, but as a sign that he heard what she was saying. Needing a break and not wanting to be with Mulder, at least for the moment, Mrs. Scully slipped out of the room leaving Mulder alone with Scully.

He accosted Mrs. Scully and brought it closer to Scully's bedside. His hand reached out to touch her cheek.

"Oh, Scully, if you only knew the night I had."

Mulder knew it was wrong, but he could not get Victoria out of his mind.


	6. Chapter 6

There was a clang of heels sounding through the hospital corridor. The female staff members turned to look and found disgust and jealously by looking at the woman. The males turned to look and were aroused by the scantily clad woman.

Victoria made her way through the hallways until she bumped into the man she was looking for.

"There you are Fox."

Her hands were already all over Mulder.

"Victoria? What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you. I tried your cell but it wasn't working. Then I remembered that you worked at the FBI so I called them. The receptionist said that you'd probably be here. She said that your partner was hurt in an accident. Is he alright?"

Mulder glanced around the hallway before pulling Victoria into an empty room. He was glad to see her, but not under these circumstances.

"Listen, Victoria, I don't know if I told you, but my partner is a woman." He paused to gauge Victoria's reaction. There were none. "Her name is Dana Scully and …"

"And what? Tell me, Fox, do you love her? Did you think about her while we were passionately intertwined?"

Victoria ran her hand through Mulder's hair. When he didn't immediately reply, Victoria pressed her lips against his. Mulder did not fight back.

At the same time, Bill Jr. was running throughout the hospital trying to find Mulder. After nearly 24 hours, Scully had woken up. She was tired, to say the least, and though a tube ran down her throat, Bill managed to understand what his sister was saying. She wanted to see Mulder.

So he ran throughout the hospital, peeking in doors trying to find the man he despised. There was a part of him that didn't want to find Mulder; there was a part of him that wanted Mulder to prove him wrong. But what he found was worse then expected. Peeking into a window, Bill saw Mulder passionately locking lips with a brunette bombshell.

He wanted to barge in there and kill the man on the spot. It was suddenly clear to him what Mulder had been doing while his sister lay motionless in her hospital bed. He watched the two end their kiss and backed away from the door. Bill backtracked a bit and pretended to just round the corner as Mulder and Victoria came out of the room.

"Mr. Mulder." Bill tried to sound a normal as possible.

Mulder saw Bill and tried to hide Victoria, though it was impossible. There was nowhere to hide her and pretending to not know her wasn't an option.

"She's awake," Bill said, not wanting Mulder to say a word. "The doctors don't know for how long. She's tired, but awake and asking for you."

Mulder thanked Bill and walked towards Scully's room. Victoria followed closely while Bill trailed a few feet behind, not wanting to miss any minute of the show.

He knocked before entering. Mrs. Scully, who reclaimed her spot near her daughter's bed, turned around to see who it was. Seeing that it was Mulder, she whispered something into her daughter's ear and kissed her on the cheek. Mrs. Scully got up from her chair and brushed past Mulder as she walked out the door.

Confused by the informal confrontation, Mulder hesitated as he entered Scully's room. He was well aware that Victoria followed closely behind. He accepted the hand Scully extended and placed a kiss of his own on it.

"I know you can't really talk right now," he said tenderly, still holding Scully's in his own. "You had me worried sick."

Scully looked Mulder in the eye and saw that his words were true. Usually she would not need any conformation but the presence of another woman caused her to feel insecure. Curious to know who she was, Scully pointed at Victoria. Mulder followed the line of her arm and choked up a bit.

Sensing Mulder's apprehensive, Victoria introduced herself.

"Victoria," she said, extending her hand. "I'm a _friend_ of Fox."

Scully stared at Victoria's hand for a spell before sluggishly accepting it. Her first impression of the woman was not a good one. She did not like the inflection she used when Victoria called herself a friend of Mulder's. She did not like how she called him Fox.

"He doesn't even let me call him Fox," Scully thought to herself. She wanted Victoria to leave. She wanted Mulder to herself.

But she did not have that opportunity. A doctor and nurse ushered into her room. They took note of her vitals and held a brief discussion before asking Mulder and Victoria to leave the room. Scully's vitals were lower than they wanted them to be. She needed her rest.

Thankful for the interruption, Mulder kissed Scully's hand once more and promised to come back tomorrow.


	7. Chapter 7

Two days later and Mulder still did not stop by the hospital.

Scully had been transferred from the ICU since then. She was no longer intubated and her vitals were better. Her doctors agreed; by the end of the week she could be discharged.

Scully was sleeping when Victoria arrived. Her mother had stolen a moment for herself and Bill, though reluctant to leave, had gone home to his wife. But he did not leave before telling Scully what he saw. He did not want to break her spirit, but he did not want to leave his sister in the dark.

She didn't even knock. Victoria simply barged in and sat down on the edge of Scully's bed.

"Wake up," she said, lightly slapping the side of Scully's cheek.

"Wake up," she said again, a little louder, when Scully did not stir.

When Scully still did not wake up, Victoria fished through her purse and pulled out switchblade. She looked around, but the door to Scully's room was closed and the blinds to her window were drawn shut. No one would see.

"I want to see your reaction my dear, or else it wouldn't be fun." Victoria reached over to the side table for the watch pitcher and splashed its contents onto Scully's face. The cold water did the trick. Scully was awake.

"What?" She was groggy, but did not stay that way for long when she saw Victoria.

"You," she said with a hint to disgust in her voice. "What are you doing here? Where's Mulder?"

"Fox, doesn't even know I'm here. Nor will he ever know."

Scully spotted the switchblade in Victoria's hand. She eyed the call button lying a few inches away from her hand but Victoria swiped it away.

"What do you want?" Scully asked hesitantly.

"I want you out of Fox's life."

"What?"

"Keeping away from the hospital for the past two days hasn't been that hard, I must admit. He's very easy to distract if you know how to. I don't know if you know this, but the man is addicted to sex."

Scully closed her eyes. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. True, Bill did warn her, but she didn't think that Mulder's involvement with woman would lead to this.

"You see my dear, with you gone, Fox will be broken and I will be there to pick up the pieces. With you gone, I won't have competition."

"But I don't even know you." She was beginning to feel lightheaded.

"That's beside the point. I could see from our first encounter that you were going to be a problem." Victoria held the switchblade close to her face, as if to admire the weapon. "And Agent Scully, I always fix my own problems."

Scully tried to throw Victoria off of her, but she did not have the strength. Her will was not enough. Quick as lighting, Victoria plunged the switchblade into Scully's abdomen one, two, three times. She twisted the cold metal so Scully could feel it inside of her. Victoria did not stop until Scully stopped moving.

Before leaving, Victoria reached over Scully's motionless body and turned off the vitals monitor. Her heart was still beating, but when it stopped, Victoria did not want the nurses to come running.


	8. Chapter 8

Mulder worked by the dim light, reminiscing about the events of the past six months.

It was fortunate that Mrs. Scully returned from her walk when she did. Her scream captured the attention of the hospital staff. They ran towards her to see what the commotion was about and soon saw what she saw.

Scully lay bloodied and motionless in her hospital bed, an obvious victim of an attack. The nurses and doctors flooded into the room, relieved to find that Scully, though faint, still had a heartbeat. They frantically worked to stabilize her and swept her away to the operation room as soon as possible.

The hospital police staff surveyed Scully's room while she was in surgery. They found the attack weapon and sent it immediately to be fingerprinted. Mulder was contacted immediately, and this time around, arrived at the hospital without delay.

They were stumped. Who would do this to Scully? The only person who could answer that question was fighting for her life. No one saw or heard anything. According to the nurse on duty, no one signed in as Scully's visitor but she was mum on whether or not someone could have slipped by.

Victoria, in the meanwhile, accompanied Mulder to show her support.

When Scully survived the surgery, she was taken back to the ICU. Skinner had guards posted in front of her area. Aside from the hospital staff only her family, Skinner, and Mulder were allowed to see her.

She was back on the ventilator; Victoria's rampage had punctured a lung. Her mother, already distraught from the car wreck, grew silent. Now that Bill was gone, Mrs. Scully had no one to help her keep strong.

Mulder tried to visit Scully's bedside everyday but Victoria's pull was irresistible. When he did manage to get away from the bed, Victoria clung on and followed him to the hospital. However, Skinner's orders were strict and even Mulder couldn't persuade the guards to let Victoria through.

Four days later, Scully woke up. A couple hours before, the doctors decided that Scully was strong enough to breathe on her on and pulled the tube out. The nurses stopped administering the medicine that induced Scully's sleep and a few hours later, she was awake.

Mulder was at her side when her eyes first opened. She was comforted by his presence, but when she looked past him, Scully saw Victoria standing in the doorway. Her heart rate automatically increased and she began to hyperventilate.

"Scully, calm down," Mulder said, stroking her hair. "It's all right. Everything's okay."

"Get … her … out …" Scully said between her gasps of air. "Get … her … out …"

"Get who out?" Mulder had a right to be confused. There was no one else in the room. But Scully's eyes were open wide and it was obvious to Mulder that her gazed was fixed on someone. He followed her line of vision – it ended at Victoria.

"Victoria?" There was a hint of exasperation in Mulder's voice. "You mean Victoria?"

Scully did not reply. Scully could not reply. Her breathing became more erratic and she began to seize.

"Someone get a doctor!" Mulder shouted. One of the guards nodded and ran off.


	9. Chapter 9

For the second time that week, Scully awoke from a drug induced coma; however, this sleep was much shorter. But this time, when Scully awoke, she had wished that she was alone. Remembering what had happened, what had forced the doctors to sedate her caused a want for reflection.

But she was not alone. In fact, she was far from it.

Having been notified of the episode, Skinner decided to be there when Scully was freed from her coma. He brought with him a pair of cops and a sketch artist. There was no question in his mind that Scully was attacked. The question was who did it? The fingerprint lab rushed to get the results from the switchblade but what the found was concerning. Only Scully's and the nurse who first found the blade's fingerprints were found.

Skinner doubted that Scully would to this to herself, and the nurse, though a suspect did not have a criminal history and was much too confused at the situation to have the investigation center around her.

"Agent Scully," Skinner began, "I know that you're hurt, but it's important that we do this now."

Skinner paused to make sure that Scully understood. She nodded in reply.

"Do you know who did this to you?"

Another pause. Another nod.

"Who then? Who attacked you?"

"Victoria," Scully's raspy voice replied. "Mulder's tramp, Victoria."

Skinner was taken aback. As a man, he could not deny Victoria's sex appeal, but there was something about her that irked him.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

Skinner nodded, wished Scully a speedy recovery, and left the room to meet Mulder who waited outside.

"What did she say?"

"She said that Victoria did it Mulder."

"What?"

"Do you have any reason to believe otherwise?"

"What are you implying?" Mulder was starting to lose his temper.

"I don't question what Agent Scully saw and neither should you."

"But you said yourself that there were no other fingerprints found on the weapon."

"She could have been wearing gloves."

"I don't believe this." Mulder slammed his arm against the wall. From inside her room, Scully could hear the argument between the two men.

"Is this your stance, Agent Mulder? Are you choosing Victoria over Agent Scully?"

Mulder was silent, trying to think it over. But it shouldn't have been a question. There shouldn't have been any hesitation.

"Yea, I guess I am," Mulder said, looking Skinner straight in the eye. A few seconds passed before Mulder turned and walked away.


	10. Chapter 10

Scully sat in the hospital waiting room for nearly an hour waiting for Mulder to pick her up. As she watched the seconds tick by, Scully began to regret her decision to have Mulder pick her up. During the remainder of her hospital stay, Scully continued to notice that Mulder was not his usual vigilant self. There was no doubt in her mind that Victoria was behind the change.

The nurse at the front desk asked once more if there was anyone else she could call. Scully ran through the possibilities in her head. She would not call her mother. The elderly Scully, though not vocal about her sudden disapproval in her daughter's continued trust in the changed Mulder, expressed her feelings through actions instead. It was not something Scully wanted to deal with.

But the passing time forced Scully to fall back on her second option. She called Skinner.

He was there in twenty minutes. It was slower than Mulder's records but fast that what it should have taken. Scully was quiet during the ride to her apartment and Skinner did not want to push conversation. He knew that there was already a lot on her mind. When they finally reached her home, Scully as usual, insisted that she was capable of taking care of herself and did not want additional help.

But with Skinner gone and the door behind her locked, Scully collapsed on the floor from exhaustion, both physical and mental.

In the morning, Scully's body was sore from sleeping on the floor all night. She stretched her body to work out the kinks then began to fix some breakfast. The coffee was brewing and the bread was toasting when there was a knock at her door.

"Scully? Open up. It's me."

Scully's heart jumped to her throat.

"Scully, are you in there? I have something I need to tell you. It's important."

She sat for what seemed to be forever at the table, trying to decide whether or not to let Mulder in. She had almost made up her mind when Scully heard the rattling of keys. Mulder was using the set of keys she had given him.

Not wanting Mulder to find her sitting in the kitchen, Scully quickly ran into her bedroom and crawled into bed.

"Scully?"

"Mulder?" She tried her best to sound confused at his presence.

He found her partially underneath the bed covers, but he could see right through her act.

"You know, Scully, it's strange."

"What's strange, Mulder?"

"When I was walking through your apartment, I could have sworn that the coffee maker and toaster was on. What's confusing to me is how those appliances can be on when you're obviously still in bed?" He wore a quizzical laced with the same off-beat sense of humor Scully had grown accustomed to.

"Mulder, what are you doing here?" Scully said, wanting to change the subject.

"I wanted to apologize," Mulder said, sitting down on the edge of Scully's bed.

"Apologize for what?" Scully braced herself for Mulder's words.

"I should have been there yesterday to pick you up from the hospital. Trust me, Scully, when I say that I wanted to be there. But something else came up." Mulder paused and tried to contain his smile. "I don't know what it is about her, Scully, but I'm … I can't believe I'm saying this … I'm madly in love with her."

Scully nodded slowly as she took in Mulder's words. This was not what she was expecting.

"I'm asking for your permission, Scully. I don't know who else to ask. I don't know who else knows me as well or better than you."

"You're asking my permission for what?" Scully drew out the words. She knew perfectly well what Mulder was asking.

"I want to marry her Scully and I need you to tell me that it's okay."

Scully sat speechless. She didn't know what to say.

"Scully …"

Mulder grabbed Scully's arm, rougher than he intended.

"Mulder, I can't," Scully said, freeing herself from Mulder's grasp and climb out of bed.

She now stood opposite him, looking at him straight in the eye.

"I don't know why you came here, Mulder. It seems to me like you've already made up your mind."

Mulder was taken aback by her coldness.

"Scully, what's wrong?"

"Wrong, Mulder? You're asking me what's wrong? Ha! You wouldn't know what was wrong even if it hit you on the head."

Mulder walked around the bed, towards Scully.

"Mulder, please don't any closer." There were tears mixed in with her words. "Tell me something, please. When you're with _her, _do you even think of me? For just a moment, just a second? Does it even cross your mind, Fox, how you're breaking my heart?"

"Scully, I …"

But Scully had enough. She didn't want to hear anything else he had to say.

"I heard you in the hospital. You made your choice clear. Go and get married to that whore. You have my permission. We're done."


	11. Chapter 11

Mulder fumbled with his apartment keys as he tired to get into his apartment. The day had gone far from what he planned. Firstly, he did not expect Scully's sudden emotional outburst. He did not know how to react to her emotional honesty. Perhaps, Mulder thought, if Scully admitted her feelings to him before Victoria, things would have been different. Mulder could not deny to himself that in another time he was attracted to his partner.

The second blow Mulder took harder. He did not plan an elaborate scene because he thought Victoria wouldn't care. Looking back, Mulder believed that it wouldn't have made a difference.

He went over to Victoria's loft after Scully's, the ring in his pocket and his nerves racing. Mulder knocked on the door to announce his arrival and entered the loft. Victoria was in her kitchen, cutting up some vegetables, looking quite domestic. He edged up to the counter and placed a kiss on Victoria's lips.

"What are you doing here? I wasn't expecting you till later," Victoria said, not taking her eyes off of her slicing.

"I have something important I wanted to ask you."

Victoria looked up with a devilish look in her eye.

"How important?"

Mulder chuckled. He had an idea of what Victoria thought he wanted.

"It's not that. Something else."

"What?"

"Marry me."

Victoria stopped slicing. She looked at Mulder for a moment than began laughing. Mulder smiled back, but in confusion.

"Marry you? You want me to marry you?" She had been avoiding Mulder's stare, but when she caught it, the lightness in her voice disappeared. "You're serious."

"Marry me, Victoria, marry me. We'll go away and just live for each other. Marry me."

Victoria was near speechlessness. She took a while to compose herself then spoke.

"I'm flattered Fox, I really am," Victoria tried to contain her giggles. "But I'm not one to settle down. I thought you knew that. I move with the wind," she said nonchalantly.

Mulder looked at her stunned.

"But I need you. I love you."

Victoria laughed.

"You may love me Fox. Hell, you may even be _in_ love with me, but I don't love you. To me, you're just a good fuck."

Victoria made eye contact with Mulder for a second before returning to her slicing. Mulder stared at her in disbelief. He didn't know what to think. He wanted her, but at the same time, he was beginning to hate her. Mulder could see, as the confusion tried to work itself out in his head, a fleeting smile pass over Victoria's face.

Not wanting to be in her presence for the moment, Mulder let himself out of her loft and wandered out into the streets. His instincts were to go to Scully and let her comfort him, but the cold air penetrating his skin reminded him that she too did not want him near her.

Waiting a few minutes before acting differently, Victoria stopped her kitchen work and locked the door to her loft. She walked around the place, looking out the windows and made sure that Mulder was not in the area. She picked up her phone and dialed a number she knew by heart.

"It's done," she said as soon as the other line picked up. "He's a broken man."


	12. Chapter 12

Mulder stood in the foggy presence of the Smoking Man. He was used to the smoke now, but tried to limit his exposure. His recent affiliation with the Syndicate forced him to associate with the man he once so despised. Trying to maintain a professional air, Mulder acted as cordially as he could to the Smoking Man, but behind closed doors, his dislike for his superior was no secret.

Tonight he was being briefed on his latest assignment. It seemed like he would accompany fellow associates, Harding and Wilhelm, on their quest in obtaining a file from a mysterious source. In this line of work, Mulder found it hilarious to find that his sources had their own sources, which in turn, had their own sources. He had always taken for granted that the men who relayed information were in the thick of things, when in reality, they were being used, just like he was.

When the briefing was finished, the men filed into the company car and zoomed towards their destination. Harding and Wilhelm whispered to each other in the front seat. They did not trust Mulder yet. Most of his colleagues didn't as they were painfully aware of Mulder's previous stance against their organization.

Instead, during the ride towards their destination, Mulder allowed his mind to wonder. It had been awhile since he thought of her. It had to be nearly five months now, since that fateful day. He knew little of Scully's life since that time and he knew even less of what happened to Victoria. As far as his knowledge extended, the latter had officially disappeared. Mulder had returned to her loft a few days after the incident, hoping that she had changed her mind, but it was empty. There was no note, no trace that she had ever existed.

Scully, on the other hand, stayed put in her apartment. She had, as expected, transferred from the X-Files as soon as she could. Skinner accepted this without explanation. Mulder discovered through the grapevine that Scully resumed her old teaching post at Quantico and moonlighted as a medical examiner for some cases.

He occasionally caught glimpses of his former partner, walking down the hallways of the Hoover building, usually talking with another Agent. Mulder would steal as many peaks at her as he could, without catching her attention. He had taken her for granted, he realized. The infatuation he had with Victoria ate him up like a disease and clouded his judgment. It was Scully who her love. It was Scully who he wanted. It was Scully he couldn't have.

Not anymore at least.

Mulder was taken out of his thoughts when the car came to a stop.

"We're here," Harding said, announcing their arrival at the pick up point. "You know what to do."

The men climbed out of the car. Harding and Wilhelm strolled over to the lamppost, trying to look as casual as possible while Mulder ran into the shadows. If anything went wrong, it was up to him to ensure that the package made its way back to the Smoking Man.

At the appointed time, another man, face covered by his turned up collar and tilted hat stopped for a chat with Harding and Wilhelm. They nodded at the words he spoke, but they were out of Mulder's hearing range. Already the meeting was taking longer than expected. It was just supposed to b a drop off. As far as Mulder knew, there shouldn't have been any conversation involved.

The man then handed Wilhelm the package, a manila envelope, and turned to walk away. Mulder watched as Harding swiftly reached to his side, pulled out his fun, and shot the man in the back of the head. Calling Mulder over, Harding handed Wilhelm the car keys to pop the trunk open.

"Have to make a detour, Mulder," Harding said as they heaved the man's body into the trunk.

Mulder nodded in understanding and got into the back seat of the car. He was surprisingly calm about the situation. He had grown used to it.

The Smoking Man was irritated when the trio arrived late to headquarters. Harding explained their situation then handed over the package. He nodded in understanding and began to open the envelope when Harding added, "There's something else I need to tell you. Without him."

Harding eyed Mulder and he took his cue. He left the room and closed the door behind him, but instead of locking in place, the door popped back, slightly open. Going against his better sense, Mulder choose to eavesdrop on the conversation. He was never privy to the information that was passed behind closed doors and his curiosity got the best of him.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" The Smoking Man said between drags from his cigarette.

"We ran into more complications," Harding said apprehensively. He waited for the Smoking Man to say something, but he remained quiet. "Our source said that someone else knows about the medical results and that she's ready to testy against our man."

"Well now, that is a problem. Did our dead friend mention who this person was?"

"There was another medical examiner on the case," Harding said, hesitation in his voice. "Our source said that he encountered things that he was unfamiliar with and needed a second opinion on them. He claimed that he was still too fresh out of med school to be handling these types of cases."

"Harding …" The Smoking Man said, sounding irritated at Harding's lengthy explanation.

"It's Scully," Wilhelm intruded.

"What?" Smoking Man said incredulously.

"It's Scully," Wilhelm repeated.

There was a silence. Mulder felt chills run up his skin. What were they going to do to her?

"You know what needs to be done," Smoking Man finally said. There was regret in his voice, but he couldn't let his own personal motives get in the way.


	13. Chapter 13

Scully rubbed her tired eyes with her hands

Scully rubbed her tired eyes with her hands. She glanced at the time, taunting her from the bottom right corner of her computer. In all respects, she should have been used to the late nights, but since being apart from Mulder her hours have become more normal.

Mulder. She rarely allowed her thoughts to drift to him during the day. Her dreams and nightmares were already filled with him. Try as she might, Scully could not escape her former partner.

"Enough," Scully told herself. "Enough."

She brought her mind back to the reason why she opted for the late night. The medical report needed to be finished for the upcoming trial. Or rather, it needed to be refinished. The original medical examiner on the case had disappeared and Scully was called to fill in as she had assisted on the case. Luckily she kept good notes.

"… stab wounds that cover the victim's body are approximately one inch in diameter and two inches deep are not, in this medical examiner's opinion, the cause of death …"

There was a small _thud _behind her. Scully's hand instinctively crawled towards the drawer that her gun lay in as she turned her head to check to source of the noise.

"It's late, Dana," Scully reasoned with herself after discovering nothing, "It's time to turn in."

She clicked on the save button and proceeded to shut the computer down. There was something uneasy about the atmosphere, but Scully shrugged it away. It had to be the late hour. It had to be …

The sound of shuffling feet filled the apartment. Scully tried to her for her gun, still tucked away in its hiding place, but her hand was swatted forcefully away.

"Who are you? What do you want?"

She was trying to stall – for what, she did not know.

"Think, Dana, think. What should you do in a situation like this?"

Scully hit the man where it counted and made a mad dash for the door. However, Harding was there to intercept her and threw her back towards Wilhelm. She crashed into her desk, and from the corner of her eye, watched the two men convene for a brief moment. Seizing the moment, Scully quickly opened the top drawer and grabbed her gun.

However, Wilhelm was faster. Seeing what she was grabbing for, Wilhelm slammed the drawer shut on Scully's hand. She cried out in pain and cradled the broken hand.

"Agent Scully, please don't make this harder than it already is."

Harding stood over her. He reached into his pocket, pulled out metal knuckles, and slipped them on. To the side of her, Scully could see Wilhelm releasing the safety on her gun. She braced herself for the shot. Instead, Wilhelm pointed the gun to the ceiling and fired until the clip was empty.

"No, Agent Scully. I'm not going to make it easy for you. That damn man sure as hell hasn't made this easy for me."

Wilhelm brought the butt on the gun against Scully's head. She prayed for mercy; she prayed for Mulder.


	14. Chapter 14

Scully rubbed her tired eyes with her hands

They have found themselves at this road so many times, but never before had they been so distant.

For the third time in nearly a year, Scully found herself fighting for her life. Her spirit drifted in and out, weighing the pros and cons of life. She could not deny it; oftentimes her spirit found the afterlife much more alluring. But the prospect of being back at Mulder's side was the biggest draw to being alive.

True, she entertained herself with some quite dashing men, but based on the rumors she heard, it was no different than what Mulder was doing. For some time, Scully had thought her life would easily readjust to life without Mulder but it was harder that she thought. Her thoughts kept drifting back to him and their many exploits. They had such an indescribable bond that unwillingly and unknowingly, Scully measured every man she met against him.

So as she walked through the valley of light, the only thing Scully pondered was the effect of her death on Mulder. She knew her family was strong and they would survive this ordeal and perhaps come out of it stronger. Mulder, on the other hand, was a more delicate situation. Though their estrangement had severed their physical beings from being together, emotionally, Mulder and Scully were closer than ever.

When Mulder ask for Scully's permission that fateful day, she revealed things to him that bared her soul. And with Victoria's rejection for marriage, Mulder began to see what a fool he had been.

The love he so desperately wanted was in front of him all along.

The monitors beeped and he watched her blood being filtered back into her system from a distance. It was her mother that sat by her side, watching and waiting for her daughter's decision. Mulder did not dare enter Scully's room.

When they burst through the hospital doors, doctors and nurses swarmed over her, poking and prodding and doing their best to keep her alive. Within the hour, she was in the operating room and within four, she was wheeled to the ICU. A bandage wrapped around her head, evidence of the trauma incurred there. The most painful evidence of her attack was the blood that still poured out of her. Unable to find the source of the bleeding and not wanting to operate further due to Scully's weakened state, the surgeons decided that she was, at least for the moment, done.

They rigged it so that the blood that leaked from her body was cleverly recycled back into her. It was a terrible but awesome sight.

The police buzzed around the halls. Mulder already answered all their questions to the best of his ability. He could only guess that they were waiting for Scully to wake up and tell her side of that story. Mulder knew that that wasn't going to happen soon.

Looking from a distance, Mulder could see Mrs. Scully stretch and get up. She needs a break, Mulder thought, this is my chance. He watched as she navigated her way too skillfully through the ICU, purposely taking the long way out to dodge Mulder.

He waited till the elderly Scully was completely out of sight before making his move. Mulder practically ran to Scully's side and immediately grabbed her hand.

"Oh Scully, Scully, Scully," Mulder said, repeating her name as many times as he could. "What a fool I've been."

Scully stirred at Mulder's words. He stared around her wildly, not sure if he should call the nurse. Mulder could feel Scully's hand flail slightly about but it stopped when she realized that it was his hands clasped around hers. Her eyes fluttered then cracked open.

"Mulder?" she said so softly that Mulder could barely catch his name.

"Yea, I'm here," Mulder said, equally breathless. He did not expect the first thing from Scully's mouth would be his name.

"Promise … you won't leave," Scully said

"Yea," Mulder gulped, trying to hold back his emotions. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Good."

Scully closed her eyes. She was tired. She had the right to be. But for the first time in a long while, Scully was certain that her sleep would be uneventful – free from any negative feelings toward the man who was still clutching onto her hand. True, there was a lot to work out between them; there were a lot of untreaded waters to explore.

But now, there was time and Scully was more than certain that, this time, everything would work out just fine.


End file.
